


Timelines

by romioneB



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29545239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romioneB/pseuds/romioneB
Summary: She spun around and relief flooded her as she saw her dad coming over a small hill and walking towards her, his face wary and looking confused but concerned at the sight of her. His hair was longer than she had ever seen it except in pictures, and he was a lot younger than how she personally knew him. His face was pretty much clean shaven and he wasn't dressed as nice as she was used to seeing him dress, but she would recognize him anywhere and it was him!(Rose Weasley accidentally sends herself back in time and joins the trio while on the horcrux hunt.)
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 149
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

The young girl stumbled around in the cold forest, the snow feeling like small razor blades on her bare feet, the icy air around her quickly numbing the exposed skin of her arms and legs. Her heart was beating rapidly and she felt panicked as the reality of the situation that she had gotten herself into crashed over her. 

She was old enough to know the rules, and she had known from the very beginning that she was making a horrible and possibly irreversible mistake. While she had felt anger and determination only minutes before, now she only felt overwhelming fear and regret. Her breaths came out short and fast, stinging her lungs on every inhale, and creating little puffs of smoke on every exhale.

“DADDY!” she screamed for him over and over but no one was around, only trees and snow as far as she could see. It seemed to be morning time, the snow making everything around her vivid and making her eyes sting at the sudden brightness of the day. It was lightly snowing and she hastily tried to wipe the flakes falling on her skin, but it only made her colder so she stopped.

  
  


She tried not to cry, knowing that tears on her face would only make her colder but she was quickly losing the battle. She knew that she was tough for her age, she had always known, but in that moment she felt anything but. She just wanted to undo the last few minutes before her feelings had gotten the best of her and had made her do something so incredibly  _ stupid _ .

“DADDY I’M HERE!” she cried frantically, her eyes and nose now running from both the cold and from her losing battle to stay calm.

She knew that her Daddy  _ had _ to be around here somewhere, as this was on his “timeline” as he would say. He had tried to explain it all to her several times, but she obviously hadn't paid enough attention to his words because at the moment she could hardly remember what he had said. She wasn’t sure  _ how  _ it all worked, and frankly she didn’t care, she just knew that she would happily take her punishment when she got back to when and where she was supposed to be. _ If it was even possible to get back _ . With that thought, a sob escaped her before she frantically screamed again.

“DADDY IT’S ROSE, I’M SORRY! P-PLEASE COME FIND ME I NEED YOU!”

“Hey!” 

She paused as she heard a voice call out from behind her and her heart leapt in her chest, she  _ knew _ that voice! She spun around and relief flooded her as she saw her dad coming over a small hill and walking towards her, his face wary and looking confused but concerned at the sight of her. His hair was longer than she had ever seen it except in pictures, and he was a lot younger than how she personally knew him. His face was pretty much clean shaven and he wasn't dressed as nice as she was used to seeing him dress, but she would recognize him anywhere and it was  _ him _ !

He was cautiously walking towards her now as she ran towards his tall frame, desperate to reach him. She knew that no matter his age, to her he signified safety and she really needed that safety at that moment. She watched as he took off his coat right before she reached him and threw her arms around his waist as she sobbed into his jumper, his smell both familiar and unfamiliar to what she was used to. 

She felt as he quickly wrapped the coat around her shivering body. “What in the  _ bloody hell  _ kid?” he said incredulously, as if he couldn't believe that he was seeing what he was seeing. “Why are you running around in the middle of  _ nowhere _ dressed in a shirt and shorts? It’s  _ snowing _ outside.” he said as if it wasn't completely obvious.

She only shook her head and sobbed harder into his jumper, her arms tightening around him as she felt him try to shift a little bit away from her. When he spoke again, his demeanor had changed and his voice was now much softer. “How old are you? How long have you been out here? Where are your  _ parents _ ?” he asked her as she felt him try to gently peel her off of him. She could tell that he was pretty uncomfortable with her clinging on to him like she was but she didn’t care, she was too happy to have found him and she didn't let up her hold on him.

“Here. Let me uh...pick you up ok?” he said hesitantly. “You can’t just walk in the snow barefoot,  _ blimey _ your feet must be frozen solid.” 

At his words she promptly let go of him and stepped back as he bent down and put one of his arms around her back, and the other arm behind her knees and scooped her up easily. Although she was cradled in his arms, he sort of held her away from him a bit awkwardly, as if he didn’t know what he was doing. It had been a long while since he had held her as she wasn’t a baby anymore, but she felt much safer in his arms and was glad to no longer be standing in the snow.

“I’m ei-eight and a half.” she choked out, her crying just about done with. “And I’ve only been out here a couple of minutes I think.”

“Okay. Good, that’s a start.” he sounded relieved that she had stopped crying and started slowly walking with her, the snow loudly crunching under his feet. “Your name is Rose? I heard you shouting that. Where are you from and what are you  _ doing _ out here Rose?”

“I’m sorry Daddy!” her lip started to tremble. “I know you told me never to go into that room and that it was dangerous but I was so  _ mad _ that you left without telling me! I was scared that you wouldn’t come back and I w-wanted to go with you.” she started crying again even as she tried to stop her tears in vain as she wiped her eyes with her cold hands. She knew that he wouldn’t understand anything that she was saying because it hadn’t happened yet of course, but the overwhelming feeling of guilt had made the words fly out of her mouth regardless.

She watched through her watery eyes as he pursed his lips uncomfortably, still looking forwards as he walked. “Uhm. So Rose, my name is erm,  _ Stan _ . I don’t know why you called me Daddy, but I’m sure we can find him and he’ll forgive you for whatever it is that you did wrong.”

She tried not to giggle at the fact that he had called himself Stan. The thought of her  _ not _ knowing who he was, or her not being able to recognize him at any point in his life was preposterous, even if he couldn't know that. “You  _ are _ my dad. I just haven’t been born yet obviously. I look like you see? Everyone always says so.” she lifted her face up to show him how much they looked alike.

Still walking, he looked down and studied her face and seemed to think about this for a second. “I mean, yeah, you do kind of. I guess it’s a ginger thing.” he shrugged. “But that doesn’t make me your  _ dad _ .” he chuckled lightly as if the idea was ridiculous. “I mean, I’ve never even-” he cut himself off quickly, his cheeks getting a bit darker before letting out a sigh. “I’m going to take you back to our tent Rose, it’s just up here. I have some friends there and they are going to help me get you home, ok?”

She shook her head, a bit frustrated that he didn't believe her. “My home isn’t  _ here _ . I’m from the year 2013 and I’m your  _ daughter. _ ”

He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “How about you tell this to my friend Hermione once we get back to the tent? She’ll know what to say to you more than I do.” 

She huffed in agitation.“I don’t want to talk to _her_. I want to talk to _you_. You don’t believe me about being from the future do you?”

He gave her a small grin. “Sorry kid, can’t say I do. But I’ll definitely see to it that you get home so don’t worry about it alright?” He kept walking forwards, the tent nowhere in sight yet.

She knew that he couldn't  _ really _ help her unless he believed she was who she said she was. “You’re Ronald Bilius Weasley and you are living in a tent with Harry James Potter and Hermione Jean Granger. You are hunting horcruxes so you can destroy Volde-” 

He came to an abrupt halt as his hand flew up and clamped down on her mouth, cutting her off. “Don't say his name!” he hissed, his eyes darting around the forest anxiously. She had forgotten that the name had been taboo during the war.

After it was clear that nobody was coming, he pulled his hand away from her face and stared at her with wide eyes, looking horrified. “How do you  _ know _ that?” he asked, his voice a pitch higher that it had just been.

“I _ told  _ you. I’m your daughter.” She crossed her arms matter of factly as she stared back at him.

He had gone considerably pale and was staring at her as if in shock, his eyes slowly scanning the features of her face. After a moment he started walking with her again, this time decidedly faster than he had been walking before.

“What else do you know?” he asked her hurriedly, his eyes trained on the tent that she could now vaguely see in the distance.

“Well,” she started. “You’re brave, except when it comes to spiders. You always try to make me kill them but I only trap them and let them go outside because it’s not nice to kill innocent creatures, even if you  _ are _ afraid of them.”

He made a weird noise in the back of his throat but didn't respond as she went on. “You love the Chudley Cannons and you took me to a game a few months ago. You ate a hot dog and bought me a foam finger that shoots glitter whenever the Cannons score a goal, but they  _ didn’ _ t score that game so I didn’t get to see it happen.” she added in a disappointed tone. 

He was walking real fast now and looking mildly like he was going to throw up, but she knew that he at least partially believed her now.

She started to list a bunch of random facts about him so he would have  _ zero _ doubt that she was telling the truth. “You  _ hate  _ the color maroon, even though grandma insists that you like it. You love chocolate frogs and would actually  _ live _ on chocolate if you could. You swear  _ way _ too much, but you try to apologize to me when you do curse. Your birthday is March first, nineteen eighty. You hate having secondhand  _ anything. _ You are a master of chess and can beat every person in the family including your circle of friends. Your patronus is a jack russell terrier and you've trained him to do the most  _ ridiculous _ things. You dislike corned beef sandwiches and you absolutely  _ love _ bacon-”

They had come up to the tent by now and he pushed open the flap as he barged in. It was warmer in the tent and she immediately felt better and couldn't wait until her feet were able to warm up all of the way, as they still stung from walking in the snow. He quickly made his way over to a table where two other pairs of eyes stared at her alarmingly, but didn't say anything.

He plopped her gently down on top of the worn wood of the table between them and then sank down in a chair quickly, as if he were lightheaded and unable to stand for a minute longer. 

  
“Harry. Hermione.” he panted, gesturing towards her. “I think she’s- I think she’s my  _ daughter _ .”


	2. Chapter 2

Ron's eyes switched anxiously between Hermione and Harry as they both stared at the child who was now sitting awkwardly on the table, both of their faces furrowed in confusion and giving him skeptical glances every few seconds. He was quite frankly stunned and had no idea what to make of this situation and hoped for one of them to tell him what they should do next because his brain was at a stand still after the girl's revelations. 

He watched Rose as she looked around the tent with a slightly uncomfortable expression on her face, not saying a word even though she hadn't shut up when he had been carrying her there. He noticed that she had her hands wrapped around her bare feet, both of them bright red from having been walking in the snow. He had two jumpers on and he reached down and pulled off the top one, removing it and tossing it to her before quickly sitting back, not wanting to get too close. She gave him a small smile before she wrapped it around her feet and looked back up at him expectantly. A chill ran down his spine at her gaze because he had to admit that she _did_ look eerily similar to him.

While at first he hadn't believed her, something in him was telling him that she was telling the truth and that she really _was_ his daughter. Although all of the things that she had said had been the final tipping point in him coming to this conclusion, he knew that it was more than just that. He had felt uneasy right at the beginning at the way that she had looked at him, as if she really _knew_ him. There was a familiarity with the way that she spoke to him, as if talking to him was an everyday occurance. He also thought about the way that she had clung onto him, as if she were safe. It was definitely _not_ the way an eight year old girl would react to a stranger that they had just met in the middle of the woods. 

He drummed his fingers nervously on his knee. He was a _dad_ . Well obviously not _yet,_ but he _would_ be. With the war and everything he honestly had been in the mindset that he wouldn't live long enough to even _have_ children, that he wouldn't live long enough to do much of _anything_ really, but apparently he had been wrong. He couldn't stop staring at her, studying her as if she had all of the answers of his future, which of course, she actually _did._ What kinds of things would she be able to tell him? Should he even _ask_ those questions? He wasn't sure.

“What do you mean, your _daughter_?” Hermione asked him, her eyes still fixed on the girl, her eyes narrowed as if she was deeply concentrated on trying to figure out this mystery.

“I found her in the middle of the woods.” he replied, his gaze moving from Rose to Hermione. “I know that it sounds _mental_ , but she _knows_ things, things about me that she could only know if she were close to me. She says that _I’m_ her dad and that she’s from the year 2013, and well, just _look_ at her.” he gestured towards the small ginger girl. “She looks just like me, yeah?” 

“And you _believe_ her?” Harry asked incredulously, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the girl as he narrowed his eyes. “This is obviously some sort of trick Ron and I can’t believe that you would bring her back in here and put us all in danger like this.” he muttered. “Who _are_ you?” he asked Rose in a manner that revealed that he didn't believe that she was a little girl at all, but rather, a threat to their safety.

Instead of looking scared however, Ron saw Rose slightly smirk at his best mate. “You wouldn’t hurt me Uncle Harry.”

At her words, Harry’s eyes widened and his composure wavered. “Un...Uncle?” he sputtered.

Hermione leaned forward and laid her hand on the girl's knee that was still covered in Ron’s thick jacket. “What's your name sweetie?” she asked softly.

Ron frowned as he noticed the way that Rose’s body instantly tensed up at Hermione’s touch and she didn't look at her when she replied. “My name is _Rose_ . And please don’t call me sweetie like I’m a _baby_.”

Hermione quickly pulled her hand away, taken aback. “I’m sorry. Rose. That’s a beautiful name.”

“Thank you.” Rose replied curtly, managing a small smile in Hermione’s direction before turning back to Ron. “I’m _not_ lying and I’m _not_ here to hurt you. This really was just a mistake and I need to get back or I don’t know what will happen.” her lip slightly quivered. “I’m not _supposed_ to be here.” 

Ron heard the vulnerability and fear in her voice. Not that he felt really _fatherly_ towards the child, but he did sense a strong urge to protect her and help her get back to where she was supposed to be. “Right.” he said, leaning forward in his chair. “How do we help you get back then?” he asked.

“I-I’m not really sure.” Rose replied, looking down at the table dejectedly. “I was _hoping_ that you would know.”

Finally recovered, Harry spoke up. “We can try to do whatever we can to help you Rose, but we need to be _sure_ that you are who you say you are. Do you mind answering some questions for us?” he asked in a business-like tone. 

“Yes, I can do that!” she answered happily while looking eager. Ron watched the way that she had visibly perked up at this idea and he was greatly reminded of the way Hermione used to look at Hogwarts when a teacher would spring a surprise pop quiz on the class. 

Ron’s breath froze in his chest. Could it _possibly_ be? With all of the shock and questions that had run through his mind since finding her, he hadn't even _thought_ about who her mum could possibly be. Somewhere in the future, Ron was out there with a woman, a woman that he had chosen to have a family with, a woman that had chosen to have a family with _him._ His eyes went back and forth between Hermione and Rose, frantically looking for similarities between the two of them. Honestly he couldn't see himself marrying anyone _except_ Hermione, even though at this point in time he had no idea if his feelings for her were even reciprocated. What if Rose _was_ his and Hermione’s daughter? He stared even harder at the girl, disappointed that all he really saw was himself. _Damn Weasley genes_ , he internally grumbled.

“She already told me our names and that we are hunting horcruxes, just so you know.” he told Harry as Hermione just intently watched, unusually quiet.

“Ok then.” said Harry, his face set in concentration. “What was the name of the three-headed dog Hagrid owned in our first year?”

“Easy. Fluffy!” she grinned.

Harry went on. “Who did I go to the yule ball with?” 

“Pavati Patil. Daddy went with Padma but he was a _horrible_ date.” she giggled and Ron felt his face go red.

“I was only fourteen.” he mumbled, crossing his arms and noticing Hermione rolling her eyes at him.

“Nevermind that, let’s move on.” Harry snapped. “How did we rescue Sirius in third year?”

“A time turner. She-” Rose gestured towards Hermione “was taking a lot of classes that were happening at the same time so Headmistress Mcgonagall got special permission from the ministry for her to use one for the year. After Sirius was captured by the dementors, Dumbledore gave you the idea to go back in time and save Buckbeak’s life and fly to the top of the tower to break Sirius free. I never got to meet Sirius, but always wished that I had.” she added wistfully.

“ _Headmistress_ Mcgonagall?” Ron asked slowly.

Rose shook her head enthusiastically. Yes, she’s the headmistress now. Although she is quite old, she doesn't act like it. We see her often, as she is a good friend of the family and is known to come to The Burrow for dinner every once in a while.

Harry looked impressed and he and Ron glanced at each other, their eyebrows raised. 

“What creatures did we encounter in our second year?” Ron asked. It was amazing to him that she seemed to know everything about them.

“You both were almost eaten by a whole bunch of Acromantulas, and then Uncle Harry was almost killed by a basilisk, but Fawkes saved him.”

“Who was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in our fourth year?” Hermione asked, finally joining in on the conversation.

Rose looked slightly uncomfortable for only half a second before answering. “That’s a trick question. Mad-eye Moody was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that year, but he _really_ was Barty Crouch Jr. taking polyjuice potion.” she smiled like the cat that had swallowed the canary. “Have I proven myself yet?” she asked. “I’ve answered every question correctly. Honestly though, those questions weren’t hard at all, Daddy’s been telling me all the stories about everything that happened to him while he was growing up for as long as I can remember.” 

Ron watched as Hermione smiled softly at this before turning to look at first him, and then Harry. “I believe her.” she told them. “I think she is who she says she is.”

Ron nodded at her as he watched Harry slowly do the same.

Suddenly, a brilliant thought popped into his head. “Hey! You can help us! Do you know what the other horcruxes are?”

Harry straightened up in excitement while Hermione looked back and forth between them seemingly hesitant “Ron, I don’t think it’s wise to know _too_ much about the future. What if it changes things and creates a bunch of problems?”

Ron saw that Rose too had looked reluctant until Hermione had spoken and then her face had turned defiant as she immediately started naming things. “The ring, the diary, the locket, the cup, the diadem, the snake and-” she glanced at Harry before cutting herself off.

Harry didn’t seem to notice that she hadn't finished her sentence, his face amazed. “Absolutely _brilliant_!” he exclaimed. “Do you know where they all are?” he pressed, his face a mask of excited anticipation.

Rose nodded as Ron spoke. “The ring, the diary and the locket are already destroyed, the locket only a few weeks ago.” he added. He could have sworn that he saw a look of pity from Rose when he had mentioned the locket. Bloody hell did she know all about _that_ too?

“The cup is in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts. The diadem is in the room of requirement at Hogwarts, and the snake is with Vo- erm, you-know-who.” Rose clarified quickly, as if she knew all of these facts by heart.

“So what you’re saying is that we eventually find and destroy them all and _win?_ ” Harry asked incredulously. “You-know-who is _gone?_ Really gone?”

“Yep!” Rose replied. “He was gone long before I was even born.”

“Do you happen to know the exact date?” Harry asked, almost giddy with what looked like relief. 

“May 2nd, 1998.” Rose answered as the three teenagers looked around at each other in disbelief. Even Hermione, who had been sitting there stoically before seemed to become livelier by the implication that they were _so_ close to the end of this thing.

Ron glanced at Hermione real quick before building up the courage to ask Rose what he had been wondering throughout the whole conversation.

“Rose. Uhm, who’s your...mum?”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hermione’s head jerk up and look at the girl expectantly, her body still, almost as if she were holding her breath.

The girl’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I don’t _have_ a mum.” she said icily. 

Ron’s stomach fell and he suddenly went cold all over. “But you _have_ to have one, I mean _everyone_ has a mum.” he said, confused. “You wouldn't even be alive without someone to, you know, give _birth_ to you.”

“Well, I don’t have one.” Rose stated _,_ looking at him as if daring him to argue but he decided not to pursue it anymore for the time being. He knew that he would have to try and find a way to get the truth out of her eventually.

Sensing the awkwardness that the conversation had taken, Harry spoke up. “Earlier you called me uncle. Are you saying that I marry-”

“Aunt Ginny, yes.”

Harry and Ron’s eyes widened as Hermione smiled and let out a little laugh. “Don’t worry Daddy. They’re very happy together.” Rose added. 

It took a minute for Ron to realize that she was talking to him again. He was certainly not used to being called ‘Daddy’ and to be honest, it was _extremely_ odd as he certainly hadn't earned that title quite yet.

“How about Hermione here?” Ron asked. “How’s _she_ doing in the future?” Ron asked nervously, hoping that her answer would clue him in more about what he only slightly suspected.

Rose looked perplexed by the question, her face furrowed in concentration, obviously figuring out what to say. “I don’t know.” she answered slowly. “I’ve never met her.” 

Again Ron’s heart dropped. For some reason, he didn’t feel like the girl was lying, but he sensed that she wasn’t being fully truthful either as her eyes were now avoiding his, her hands nervously twisting in her lap.

He leaned further towards her. “But you knew her _name_. You knew who she was.” he pressed on.

Rose swallowed. “The only things that I know about her are the stories that you have told me. You used to know her a long time ago...but not anymore.”

He sat back then, feeling sick. He couldn’t even imagine a life without Hermione in it. _Why_ wasn’t she in his life? _What_ was Rose hiding? In his gut he felt like he already knew the answer, but it was too horrible to even fathom and he tried not to break down in front of them.

In such a short amount of time his dreams for the future assuming if he survived the war, had absolutely crumbled. What the _hell_ had happened? Had Hermione even survived the war? He tried not to look at Hermione, afraid that he wouldn't be able to hide the turmoil that he was currently feeling from her. He was totally and utterly in love with her, but she didn't know that. If she really was _gone_ , then he had to figure out a way to stop whatever was _going_ to happen to her from happening. 

He knew that it was another thing that he was going to have to pry out of Rose when he had a chance to talk to her privately. Maybe she was just uncomfortable talking about this stuff in front of Hermione, but would easily tell him the truth? He _was_ her dad after all, and he would demand answers.

The tent was silent and when Ron finally pulled himself from his thoughts, it looked as if Hermione and Harry seemed to have come to the same conclusion as the mood around them became somber, with no one looking at or speaking to each other.


	3. Chapter 3

In this chapter, more questions will arise!

Written quickly, so ignore any mistakes!

Thank you for reading, enjoy! :)

o

O

o

After Rose's last statement, conversation had stopped and nobody seemed to know what to say. All three of the trio looked troubled by her revelation that Rose didn't know Hermione in the future, but none more so than the man that had raised her. His eyes had always betrayed how he felt and it was clear to her that he was very upset by this information, he looked utterly heartbroken. Although it wasn't a new look on him it pained her to know that _ her  _ words had been the cause, even if accidentally. Her uncle was glancing between his two best friends, worry etched on his face that was much younger than how she personally knew it. Hermione didn't seem so much  _ upset _ as she did contemplative, but her daddy had told her before that the older girl had never been as easy to read as he always had been. 

Her Uncle Harry quickly changed the subject and started talking about how amazingly helpful she was for knowing and telling them where the horcruxes were. Eventually he got her daddy to join in on the conversation and they soon started making plans on how to get to them, with Rose only answering questions when asked. Hermione however was sitting back, quiet and seemingly deep in thought as she stared at the tent wall not paying any attention to the conversation in front of her. 

She noticed that her dad kept on glancing at Hermione with a concerned look on his face, his feelings for her even  _ then  _ very evident, although Rose had never seen it in person. He still seemed to be rather uneasy from the previous conversation, and when his eyes traveled to Rose, she knew that he was trying to figure out what it was that she was hiding.

Rose felt bad for even opening her big mouth and knew that she had probably said too much already, even if it hadn't been close to the full extent of what she  _ could  _ have said. She knew that she shouldn't tell them the truth about Hermione, and she was nervous about any future questions regarding her popping up while she was here.

“How about I take you to get some more appropriate clothing on?” Hermione said softly, abruptly breaking Rose’s train of thought. Apparently she was done with staring off into space and was now standing next to the table, waiting for Rose’s answer.

Rose looked up at her nervously before giving her an appreciative nod as she climbed down from the top of the table. She looked back at the young men, who were now deep in conversation and not paying any attention to her. Gulping, she followed Hermione, hoping that she wouldn't start asking her any hard questions.

To her surprise and relief though, Hermione said very little as she pulled her own clothes out of a small beaded bag and magically shrunk them down so that they were smaller and closer to Rose’s size. “I know that they’re not the best, but unfortunately, they are our only option right now.” Hermione said apologetically as she handed Rose a jumper, jeans, and a pair of socks.

Rose felt guilty then for how she had initially treated her. Even though the older version of her was the reason that Rose was currently in the mess that she was in right now, she internally knew that it wasn't  _ really _ Hermione’s fault for how things had turned out. She knew that her negativity towards Hermione had everything to do with her  _ own _ feelings, rather than anything that Hermione had done or not done to her personally. She decided not to be icy anymore, but she wasn't going to be warm and fuzzy towards her either, things were too complicated in her mind to really split the two worlds apart and Rose couldn't help but still somewhat resent her. 

“Thank you.” Rose said quietly as Hermione then led her to the bathroom. She stepped inside and pulled the curtain shut, quickly changing and feeling instantly warmer, especially with the thick socks on her still-cold feet. Once done, she put her daddy’s coat back on and walked out.

Hermione was waiting for her just outside of the bathroom and smiled when she came out. “Do you want anything to eat or drink?” she asked. “Unfortunately we have very limited options, but I’m sure we’ll manage.” 

Rose shook her head. She had literally just gotten back from dinner with her Aunt Ginny before she had made the stupid mistake that she had made to travel back in time. “No, I just ate actually.” 

“Oh, good.” Hermione said, looking slightly relieved before leading her towards a small couch where they both sat on opposite ends. 

Rose was quiet, not knowing what to say. What  _ should _ she even say? She was curious, like anyone would be if they were in her position, but what good would it do to get to know this person in front of her?  _ Especially _ if she was going to go back to her time soon; the alternative of her being stuck there was something that she wasn't allowing herself to even think about.

“Can I ask you something?” Hermione said suddenly, as if she were nervous to ask.

“Sure.” Rose said slowly, preparing herself to lie if the need arose.

“How’s Ron? In the future I mean, is he happy?”

Rose thought about the question.  _ Was _ he happy? Well that depended on the day, especially recently, but she didn't want to tell her that. “He says... that  _ I  _ make him happy.” she finally responded.

Hermione smiled. “I’m sure you do. So he’s a good dad then?”

“Yes. He’s the best.” Rose replied truthfully, nodding her head enthusiastically. “Since it’s just us two, he’s always treated me like I was older, you know? He’s not very strict, and I can pretty much do anything as long as I give him a good enough reason for doing it. We have fun debating a lot of things, one of the main ones is the fact that  _ he _ feels that we should kill any spiders that we find in the house and _ I  _ feel that we should set them free but..” she trailed off, noticing the way that Hermione was staring at her with a small smile.

“Well if it helps, I agree with  _ you _ on that one.” She paused. “You seem rather intelligent for an eight yea-”

“Eight and a half.” Rose cut in.

“For an eight and a  _ half _ year old.” Hermione said, her mouth turned up a bit at the corners.

Rose nodded. “Unusually so...says my  _ family _ anyway.”

She watched as Hermione shifted her legs underneath her on the couch before speaking again. “Your dad, well, he’s probably the best person that I’ve ever known, even if he  _ does  _ upset me sometimes,” she said, her hands nervously twisting in her lap.

“Is this about the locket?” Rose asked as Hermione gave her a strange look.

“I’m not sure actually. I know  _ something _ happened the night that he came back, but he wont tell me anything.” She sighed. “So you  _ know _ ?” she asked incredulously.

Rose nodded. “He tells you eventually too, but not until you-” she cut herself off and looked away.

Hermione didn't speak for several long seconds. “I’m right in assuming that there are things that you don't want to tell us aren't I?” she finally asked, but Rose could tell by her face that she already knew the answer to the question.

“There are things that I  _ shouldn't _ say,” she responded.

Hermione nodded. “It’s okay,” she said in a gentle voice. “I won't try to pry anything out of you that you aren't comfortable with sharing,  _ but _ I don't think that it’s going to be so easy with Ron,” she told her as she looked across the tent at her dad. 

Rose watched as his eyes lifted up and met Hermione’s, giving her a small smile before turning his eyes to look at Rose, his face again giving her that slightly rattled look, as if he couldn't believe that she was actually there. She had noticed that every once in a while when she and Hermione had been talking he would glance over to look at her, his face still a mask of curiosity rather than the look of love that she was used to. 

Her eyes watered again at the seriousness of her mistake. She needed to get back to  _ her _ time, back to the daddy that she knew and loved and who knew and loved  _ her _ .

“I want to- we  _ all _ want to help you get back to where you belong Rose,” Hermione said sincerely as Rose turned back to her. 

“Thank you. I really  _ do _ need to get back, I can't stay here, I don't  _ belong _ ,” she said quietly as she wiped a tear from her eye, internally telling herself not to get emotional yet, this wasn't the time for it.

Hermione started heading back towards the table, gesturing gently with her hand for Rose to follow her. Rose complied and they both walked over and each of them took a seat in an empty chair. She was glad to no longer be sitting on top of the table and stared at like she was some artifact on display at a museum.

“No more horcrux talk.” Hermione started out sternly. “We need to figure out how to get Rose back to her own time. I’m certain that future-you is terribly worried about his missing daughter right now.” she said pointedly. Rose looked at her dad and he was staring at Hermione guiltily as if he hadn't thought of that until that moment. 

“So tell us what you know then. How did you even get here?” Uncle Harry asked her as he leaned forward, his face concentrated on hers.

“It was a time turner...well, not  _ only _ a time turner, it was also a pensieve, and I think some spells too, and Daddy also found a stone but...I’m sorry, I’m not really  _ sure _ .” she said dejectedly.

“Well we certainly don't have access to  _ any _ of those things.” Hermione said, her voice somewhat panicked.

“Wait. What was I even  _ doing _ messing with time like that?” her dad asked her, his face scrunched up in confusion. 

“For work.” she quickly lied.

He bit his lip, thinking. “Why did you have  _ access _ to something that I was supposedly working on then?” he asked. “What kind of father am I to put you in danger like that?” he said, sounding frustrated.

“It wasn't your fault!” Rose said quickly, even though that wasn't  _ entirely _ true. Although her getting there had been because of her own foolish mistake, she wouldn't even be there if it weren't for  _ his _ actions that had driven her to the point where she felt desperate enough to follow him. “I knew the rules but I  _ chose _ not to listen. This is  _ my _ fault.”

Her dad let out a sigh. “Earlier you said something about a room. So this- _ thing _ that sent you back in time was in a room that you weren’t allowed in right?”

Rose nodded.

“So  _ why _ did you go in there then? I mean, when I found you, you said that you had been  _ mad _ at me. Why would you be mad at me for working?”

Rose felt her cheeks pinken a bit. “You work too much, that’s all.” she responded, but knew by the way that he was looking at her that her daddy didn't believe her.

“So Ro- so your dad was trying to change something that happened in the past?” Uncle Harry asked her, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion and curiosity.

Rose shrugged, feeling the weight of her lies stacking up very quickly and not knowing how she would be able to maintain them all. She hoped that she would be able to get back home before she would have to deal with the consequences of her words.

She watched as her daddy’s eyes traveled to Hermione, who seemed to again be deep in thought. She watched him as he stared at her, his face softening right before she saw something light up in his eyes as if he had just realized something incredible. His head snapped to Rose, his eyes frantically searching her face, his eyebrows raised in what looked like comprehension. Had he figured it out without her even saying it?

She instantly turned her head down, avoiding his gaze and staring at the hands in her lap as she heard him sigh in frustration. 

“What’s my job by the way?” he asked, his voice now a little bit demanding, as if ordering her to tell him the truth.

“You’re an auror.” she quickly replied, glad to not have to lie about that one.

He looked impressed for just a second before continuing on. “If an auror’s job is to catch dark wizards, why would I be traveling to the _ past _ ?” he asked, looking intently at her.

“That’s classified.” she answered sharply, earning a small smile from Hermione as Ron frowned.

“Anyway, it doesn't really matter why,” she said defensively. “I just need to get  _ back _ .”

They nodded their heads, all of them looking at each other in a way that she didn't like and made her feel incredibly uneasy. She gulped and tried to keep her tears at bay, no matter how mature she was for her age she was still just a child, a child who depended on  _ adults _ . Now instead of adults, she was stuck with three teenagers who obviously had no clue how to help her.

Her daddy must have sensed that she was about to lose it. “Rose. Do you want to go on a little walk outside with me?” he asked her. 

She could tell from the way that he asked that taking her mind off of things wasn't the only reason he wanted to be alone with her. She could tell that he was itching to ask her more questions about the future, questions that she would refuse to answer. 

She didn't respond but she shook her head no.

She saw his shoulders sag as he sat back in the chair, giving Hermione a shrug as if to tell her, ‘Hey, I tried.’

She had started to notice the way that he held himself was different to the way that he held himself in the future. There was a confidence in himself that he had apparently not found yet. 

She remembered the time when he had told her that he had only  _ truly _ become confident the day that Hermione had told him that she loved him back, shortly after the end of the war. Although she had found the story a bit ridiculous, something in her had thought it was a little bit sweet as well. He was also a war hero when she knew him and was sure that it helped his confidence as well, even though she knew that he hated the attention that he got from it. 

“I should go to the village,” Her Uncle Harry cut the silence. She saw as Hermione opened her mouth to retort but her daddy cut in before she could. 

“Someone does need to go, Hermione. We already were low supplies, but  _ now _ -” he gestured towards her.

Hermione nodded her head. “Fine. I’ll go.”

“No,” her dad said, looking at Hermione in  _ that way _ again. “I’ll go.”

“I think you need to  _ stay  _ Ron,” and Rose didn't miss how Hermione gestured to her with her eyes, letting him know that Rose was the reason that he should stay.

That whole ‘speaking in front of kids while trying not to be obvious that you're talking about them’ act usually highly irritated her, but she couldn't help but feel grateful. Her daddy might not know her, but she knew him and she didn't want him to leave her at all.

She also didn't want to be left  _ alone _ with him, and she figured that if Hermione was the one to leave, then the other two would try and talk to her and grill her for answers and she certainly didn't want that either, Hermione was safest.

“I think Uncle Harry should go,” she piped up, all eyes now on her. “He has the invisibility cloak and he’s fast. It just makes sense.” she shrugged.

“He’s also the bloody chosen one though,” her daddy told her.

“I’ll be quick. It will be fine, I’m sure.” her uncle said, obviously wanting the conversation to end before an argument broke out.

No one said anything else and he was quickly gone, slipping under the invisibility cloak right before he disapparated to the nearest muggle village.

“Hermione, can I talk to Rose alone?” her daddy asked once Harry had gone.

Hermione looked at Rose then, hesitant to agree. “I’m- I have laundry to do…” she said slowly.

“I want to help Hermione with the laundry!” Rose said excitedly, as if doing laundry was the most exciting thing in the world to do.

She could tell by her dad’s furrowed eyebrows that he wasn't buying her act but she was happy to have a reason not to be left alone with him.

It was ironic that she was choosing to spend time with the person that she had come to resent, rather than the person that she loved the most in the world. But she knew that this was a different place, a different circumstance, and it was what was better for her at the moment.

She followed Hermione outside as Hermione levitated the dirty clothes in front of them. Conversation was light as she showed Rose how to wash their clothes using a bucket, her wand and a small amount of soap. 

It was pretty boring actually and Rose found herself studying Hermione rather than the laundry. She watched the way that she moved, the way that her face looked as she patiently explained how not to use too much soap, and how not to fully dry them with the wand as it might shrink the fabric. 

Rose couldn't help but feel even more like a tomboy around her, the way that Hermione moved was very  _ feminine _ and Rose knew that she herself wasn't feminine at all. Not that Hermione herself was  _ girly _ by any means, but she did have a soft, prim and proper way about her that she sort of envied. 

Rose had always done things more like her daddy. Her table manners were just as bad as his, and she had always hated anything girly in every sense. She preferred t-shirts and jeans to dresses and frills, and was thankful that her daddy had never forced her into any of that and had always let her choose what she wanted to wear. Her Aunt Fleur had tried, on numerous occasions, to show her how to be more ‘lady-like’ as she called it, but Rose never would have any of it. 

Her dad stayed in the tent the whole time they were out and didn't disturb them at all. By the time that they were finished, her uncle had come back with food that he had gotten from the grocery store and they all went inside to make sandwiches for lunch.


	4. Chapter 4

After lunch, the mood was still melancholy as the unspoken issue of helping Rose hung in the air around them. Ron knew that her being there was a huge problem for many different reasons, and he also knew that Hermione and Harry were thinking the same things as he was. They were after all, the most _wanted_ teenagers in all of the magical world, and every single second for them was rigged with the potential danger of being caught and brought to Voldemort. If that _were_ to happen, they would surely be done for, and if Rose happened to be with them, Ron was almost positive that she would end up meeting the same grueling fate as them. He knew what Voldemort was capable of; after all, he had tried to kill Harry when Harry was just a _baby_ , and Ron knew that he would kill Rose without a second thought just because she happened to be traveling with them. 

Even _if_ they were lucky enough not to be caught though, the girl would be another mouth that they had to feed, another person to take up space in their cramped tent, and since she was just a kid, her well-being would be _entirely_ up to them and none of them had any experience with taking care of children. 

He glanced at Rose, who was sitting by herself on the couch, her legs tucked under her, her face solemn. During lunch, the trio had quizzed her a bit more about how she had sent herself back in time, trying again to figure out a way that they could help. While at first she had tried to explain her plight to them in more detail, she must have gotten frustrated at how little she really knew about the ‘thing’ that had sent her back because she had then stopped talking altogether. They had quickly changed the subject and had started talking about different things, hoping to cheer her up, but they could all sense that she was getting increasingly upset at the hopelessness of her current situation and had completely ignored them.

When they had gotten no response, they had all sadly looked at each other, silently agreeing to go ahead and give her some space, and she had been sitting silently by herself on the couch ever since. It had been about thirty or so minutes and she had yet to do anything but sit and stare at the floor, still paying zero attention to any of them.

Ron watched as Harry decided to be the first to try and engage her again and slowly walked over to the couch to sit by her. Ron was relieved when he saw them start talking quietly to each other and he felt a rush of gratitude for his best mate, as Ron literally was clueless about what to do himself. He knew that she was _his_ daughter, but he didn't _feel_ like he was her dad. _He_ hadn't raised her, taken care of her, watched her get older every day for eight years. He wanted to protect her of course, but that would have been true for _any_ lost child that they had happened to find in the middle of the woods. 

He could tell that his behaviour towards her was starting to upset her as well, and he couldn't blame her for this at all. To imagine his own parents looking at him as if he were a stranger rather than their son made him feel like crying, and he wasn't even a little kid!

He turned to stare at Hermione as she was cleaning up the plates and silverware from their lunch, her face still furrowed in concentration as she thought, completely oblivious to being stared at. As he watched, he wanted nothing more than to just run over and grab hold of her, to protect her from everything for the rest of his life. He took a deep breath before walking towards her and lightly grabbing hold of her elbow, urging her to turn around and face him. When she did and looked up at him expectantly, he momentarily forgot what he was going to talk to her about. His feelings for her had gotten much stronger as the years had gone by, but since Rose’s news of her not being in his future, the love that he had for her was now mixed in with fear and despair at the thought of losing her in any way.

“You okay?” she asked him quietly, probably confused by his silence.

“I just- I feel awful.” he responded as he let out a sigh. “I really have _no_ clue what to do.”

“Yeah, I feel the same,” she responded, nodding her head in understanding.

“It really is a shitty situation.”

She didn't even chastise him for his language as she looked over his shoulder to stare at the girl, her beautiful face etched with worry. With the limited information that Rose had given them, Ron knew that there was no way that they would be able to help her get back to where she needed to be, but maybe they could try and get her to someone who _could._

“We can't help her Hermione,” he went on. “We can't get her back to where she belongs, but we can’t let her stay here with _us_ either.”

Hermione’s eyes moved to his face again and she nodded in hesitant agreement. “So what are we going to do with her then?” she asked sadly.

He paused, the answer coming to him. “I want to send her to Bill and Fleur’s-they can keep her safe for the time being. Bill’s a curse breaker so maybe he will know more about the stone that Rose is talking about. Anyway, it would at least be a _start_.”

Hermione bit her lip, again looking over at Rose. “I agree with you. Her being here with us is much too dangerous...but I have a feeling that she’s not going to take kindly to your plan. I don't think she’ll want to leave you.”

“I know-I mean I sort of figured.” he sighed wearily. “So how do we go about telling her?”

Hermione paused, seemingly deep in thought again. “I’m sorry Ron, but I have no idea...you just need to go and talk to her,” she finally said.

Without allowing himself to think too much about it before doing so, he pulled Hermione into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her. She stiffened for a second before hugging him back, though hesitantly, as if she were confused as to why he was doing it.

“What’s the hug for?” she finally asked, her face sideways against his chest.

He shrugged. “Moral support I guess. I’m terrified to tell Rose that we’re going to send her away.”

Although it was true, and he _was_ nervous about telling Rose of his plans, the truth was that he just _really_ wanted to hug Hermione, and figured that it was a valid enough excuse.

She lightly laughed. “She’s eight years old Ron, she can't be _that_ scary.”

“I’m so scared!” he said in a phony voice, smiling when he felt Hermione’s arms tighten around him, mockingly patting him on the back.

Still smiling, he turned to rest his cheek on top of her head and spotted Rose watching the two of them, a hurt scowl on her face. When she realized that he was looking at her, she quickly changed her face into a neutral look and turned her eyes back to the chessboard that Harry had apparently just pulled out. Harry had been too concentrated on setting up the game to notice the look that she had given his two best friends. 

Ron was still certain that she had a lot of things that she was hiding, and he knew that for _some_ reason a big one had to do with Hermione. He got nervous again because he didn't want to upset her and make her so angry at him that she wouldn't open up and tell him the truth.

“Why don't _you_ tell her,” he suggested.

“ _I’m_ not the one that needs to tell her and you know it,” Hermione said as she stepped back from him, tucking her stray curls behind her ears. She needs her dad.”

“I’m not her dad!” he exclaimed before sighing at the look she gave him. “I mean _yet_ , I'm not her dad _yet_.”

“Well, you are the closest that she’s going to get to it right now, so it’s _you_ that she needs.”

He nodded. “Fine, I know. I’ll try.”

He slowly made his way to the couch and Rose didn't even so much as look at him when he slowly sat down beside her.

“Harry, do you mind giving us a moment?” he asked.

Harry looked at him and nodded before standing up and making his way to Hermione where they started their own quiet conversation. Ron figured that Hermione was clueing him in to what was happening.

Once Harry was out of earshot, Ron turned towards Rose. “Hey,” he said softly.

Her eyes didn't leave the floor and she didn't answer, but he could see her tighten her jaw, and knew that she was listening.

“I’m sorry that I’m not-that I'm no good at this,” he said sincerely.

He watched as her bottom lip started to lightly quiver, but she still made no other movements. 

“I just-”

“None of you know how to help me get back, do you?” she cut him off, her face slowly turning to meet his, her eyes welling up with unshed tears.

He was torn on what to do, but he figured that he shouldn't lie to her or give her false hope. “No Rose, I’m sorry.”

With his words, she let out a sob and threw herself to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbing into his shoulder.

With wide eyes, he turned to look at Hermione and Harry, both of whom had turned to watch them at the noise she had made. Ron’s eyes sought Hermione’s, silently asking her what he should do about the now hysterical child. She looked at him as if he was daft before mouthing the words ‘hug her back’. He swallowed before slowly turning some and wrapping his arms around Rose, whose face was now on his chest as he sat awkward and stiff. He made little shushing noises and slightly stroked her hair, hoping that he was at least able to give her a _little_ comfort. He didn't say anything to her, as there really wasn't anything that he _could_ say that would make the situation any better. He just held her until she quieted, her body still shaking with tremors with every inhale. 

“Rose,” he started gently, knowing that he was about to make her even more upset than she already was. “It’s too- it’s too _dangerous_ for you out here. We are already at risk, and none of us would ever forgive ourselves if anything bad were to happen to you while in our care-and-well, right now-that’s a high possibility…”

Rose let go of him and sat back to study his face, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What are you saying?” she asked slowly, her body already tense with what looked like suspicion.

“I’m going to take you to Bill and Fleur’s house in Cornwall. It’s a safe house and you’ll be much safer there than-”

“No!” Rose almost screamed, a terrified look on her face. “You can't _leave_ me!” 

Ron was at a loss as to what to do, the poor girl looked panicked, as if he had just told her the worst news in the world. He had expected her to be upset of course, but he hadn't been prepared for this.

“I want to stay with _you_ ,” she pleaded, tears pouring down her face. 

Ron certainly wasn't able to deal with crying girls, no matter their age. He stuttered a bit trying to find words of comfort, but was unable to and just clamped his mouth shut.

Hermione must have sensed that he was stuck, because she quickly made her way to the couch and sat down on the opposite side of Rose.

“We just don't want you to get hurt, and we don't know what else t-”

“I don't want your help!” Rose yelled at her, her face a mixture of betrayal and rage. “This is all _your_ fault!”

Hermione sat back in shock as Rose squirmed out from between them and took off running across the tent, pushing against the flap to get outside before disappearing, her cries having resumed even harder than they had before.

Hermione’s face was a mixture of hurt and confusion, and Ron reached over and gently squeezed her knee before standing up. “I’ll go try and fix it,” he told her before making his way out of the tent, stopping only to bend down and pick up Hermione’s extra pair of snow boots that Rose had worn earlier.

He found Rose standing and watching a small stream of melting snow as it flowed down a small slope. She was now quiet, but he could see that tears were still making their way down her face. She said nothing as he stood beside her, but she took the boots when he wordlessly held them out in her direction. He then bent down and used his wand to dry the socks on her feet one at a time before she put on the boots. Once done, he stood up, putting his hands in his pockets.

“What else do you think we should do?” he finally asked her. “If you know all about what we are doing, then you _know_ how much danger that we are currently in.”

Rose sniffed and nodded her head. “I know,” she said quietly. “But you're my _only_ chance Daddy. You're the only one who can help me, I just know it, and if you leave...”

Ron sighed. “I’m not some-some _hero_ Rose, I can hardly take care of _myself_ , much less someone else. And I know nothing, I repeat, _nothing_ about time travel.”

She didn't say anything.

“Bill’s older, smarter; he might be able to figure out what to do. _He’s_ your best chance.”

She took a shaky breath, and he could tell that she knew that she had lost this battle. “Can we wait- just until tomorrow?” she asked quietly, looking up at him.

He nodded. “Sure. If that’s what you want.”

“Leaving you is _not_ what I want,” she snapped. “But I know that I don't have a choice in the matter,” she added sadly.

They stood in silence for several long moments.

“I also wanted to ask you-”

He stopped talking as the girl violently shook her head no, her eyes still on the stream.

Undeterred, he continued. “What happens- _happened_ to Hermione?”

“I don't know,” she answered stiffly.

He sighed. “I may not know you yet Rose, but I know _me_ , and like me, you are a terrible liar. So I’m asking you again, and I want you to tell me the truth this time. What happens to Hermione?”

Rose slowly shook her head no again, but didn't say anything.

“ _Please_ , Rose. I need to know.” he begged, his voice coming out desperate. “If there's _any_ way that I can fix it, I need to know everything beforehand.”

Rose paused, but Ron watched as her shoulders fell, the fight leaving her. “She’s dead.” Rose said quietly.

He felt his heart drop. He had suspected as much but to actually _hear_ it made his insides go ice cold. He bit his lip and shut his eyes tight, not wanting to accept the truth of her two words. “ _Fuck._ ” he muttered, too upset to even caring that Rose was hearing him.

“ _Hermione_ ,” he moaned, his hands gripping the sides of his face. “Wh-what _happens_ to her? Is it the war? You-know-who? Death eaters?” he asked hurriedly.

“No.” Rose shook her head.” She died in 2006.”

“ _How_ ?” he rasped out, his chest feeling like it was caving in. Hermione would have only been in her _twenties_. What the fuck had happened to her?

“Someone..someone killed her.”

Ron took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions. “Do you know _who_?”

Rose nodded. “Lucas Miller.”

“Lucas Miller,” Ron repeated slowly under his breath. The name was completely unfamiliar and he was positive that he had never heard it before.

“ _How_?”

Rose shook her head. I’m not- I’m not sure. Nobody has told me the whole story and you _never_ talk about it. All I know is that he was- _ill_ in the head- and he escaped from St. Mungo’s. Hermione was in the park when she saw him and she tried to help him but…” she trailed off. 

“ _Ohgod_.” Ron moaned, his hand coming up to run through his hair. Just the vague scene of what she was describing was enough to make him feel sick.

“Was there not anybody _with_ her? How could she let her guard down like that? I mean, what was she even _doing_ there?”

“She was...she was pushing her baby in a stroller,” Rose said softly.

“ _Baby_?!” he asked. 

“Yeah. Me,” she sighed. “ _I_ was the baby.”

Ron swore that his heart had stopped beating. “ _Hermione_ is your mum?” he asked breathlessly. His insides crumbled at the unfairness of the situation. He was finding out that not only was his greatest wish going to come true, but his greatest nightmare as well.

_Calm down,_ he internally told himself. Now that he _knew_ what was going to happen, he could stop it right? If he knew beforehand, he could stop it couldn't he?

“Rose, can I stop it from happening? Now that I know? I mean, I can just _prevent_ it from happening, and then Hermione will be just fine right?” he asked quickly.

Rose shook her head a little bit, her eyes widening. “I-I don't know. You said that- that you _couldn't_ save her without the stone because the timeline was already _set_.”

He felt defeated, and knew that he was going to need a lot more information and soon. As for Rose’s behavior, everything was clicking into place in his head and it was like a lightswitch had been turned on. “ _That’s_ why you said that this was her fault then? It was because I...I was trying to go back in time to save her?”

Rose nodded.

“It wouldn't be her _fault_ though. It’s not like she asked to be-to be _murdered_ Rose.” 

The girl shook her head. “You _can't_ understand! It’s _her_ fault that you're _sad_ all of the time! And then ever since you found the stupid time turner, saving her is _all_ you seem to care about. You don't ever have any time for _me_ anymore.” 

Ron watched as her bottom lip started quivering, and he could tell that she was trying to stop herself from crying again so he tried to make her feel better. “I-I know that I can't really apologize for something that I haven't even _done_ yet, but I am sorry.” He sighed. “But-shouldn't you _want_ me to save her? I mean-she's your _mum_. Don't all kids love their mum?”

“Can _you_ love someone that you've never met?” Rose shot back. “You're my Daddy, but I see it now when you look at me that you don't love _me._ ” Her eyes welled up with tears and he felt awful.

“I'm sorry Rose, I _really_ am. But I suppose being a dad is like-you have to fall in love with someone over time I guess, even your own kids.”

She shook her head adamantly. “You tell me all of the time that you fell in love with me the very first time that you saw me.”

“Okay, I’m sure that’s true but- right now I don't know how to _be_ a dad and again, I am sorry about that.”

Rose looked behind him, her face turning stony. “She’s watching us.”

Ron followed her gaze and saw Hermione standing there and he again turned to Rose. “Let’s go inside. Not a word about this to anyone else alright?” he said as he held his hand out to her. 

Rose nodded, taking his hand, and together they made their way back into the tent.


	5. Chapter 5

I have never worked so gosh dang long and hard (that’s what she said…*facepalm*) on ONE friggin chapter. Whew!!! It's twice as long as the other chapters and much more complex (certainly the most complex that I have ever personally written) and I would  _ love _ to hear your thoughts on it! (pwease and thankyou!) *Most* of your questions will be answered here *yay*

Now for something random to say because I want to, and theres nothing stopping me from doing so, so…….I scream a lot. Like, randomly scream at the top of my lungs for no reason. It freaks out anyone near me when I do so and I find it hilarious. Now, enjoy the chapter!!!

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For as long as Rose Weasley could remember, her daddy had been by far the most important person in her life. While she loved her grandmum and the rest of her family very much, and enjoyed spending time at The Burrow while her Daddy was at work, her favorite part of the day had always been when he would come and pick her up to take her home. Although she was loved by so many people, she knew that her Daddy loved her differently, as if she were the  _ most  _ important person in the world to him, and he often told her this too. He told her that while her mum had been his greatest love,  _ she _ was a result of that love, and therefore, just as special and invaluable to him.

Her daddy was tall and loud, and from an early age she had loved when he would put her on his shoulders and zoom her around the room; making her feel that she was a hundred feet tall and completely invisible to anything bad happening to her; she had always felt that way when he was around. 

He would smile at her as if she were the only girl in the world and she loved that she was an only child so she received every ounce of his attention. He was almost never impatient with her, and even when she happened to be in a mood (apparently she had inherited his Weasley attitude) he would gently try and talk her down from whatever it was that was plaguing her rather than punishing her. Whenever this happened, it usually ended up with her crying in his arms and apologizing for misbehaving in the first place.

One time, when she was about five years old, she had woken up before him, and instead of walking to his room and waking him up to force him to cook her breakfast as she usually did, she wandered outside through their back door. There was a patch of trees behind her house, and for some reason she had felt like going to explore it, even though she knew she wasn't supposed to go anywhere alone. She had only been walking around through the thick woods for about ten minutes, when she heard her daddy start screaming her name, his voice panicked and full of fear. She had tried to answer him, but she knew that her small voice wouldn't be able to reach him from where she was. She tried making her way back towards her house, but she couldn't remember from which direction she had originally come from so she just walked around aimlessly, now crying too hard to even try calling back to him. She remembered how relieved she had felt when she started to hear his voice getting closer to where she was. When they had finally caught sight of each other, he had run to her before falling to his knees as he grabbed her and pulled her to him. She had felt his body shaking, and when he pulled her back to tell her to  _ never _ do that to him again, she had seen tears running down his face and had realized that he was crying. She remembered how utterly shocking it was for her to find that he even  _ could _ cry, as before, she had thought him incapable of such a thing.

She couldn't pinpoint an exact moment that she had come to know that he was sad, but it had become more apparent as time went on that he was. It was something that she had picked up on slowly and as she got older and was able to understand more. He would always try and hide it from her, but she started getting better at catching it as she was now getting harder to fool. It might be something like him trailing off in the middle of a sentence and staring into space, or finding him alone and hastily wiping his red and puffy eyes before pasting a smile onto his face when he noticed that she was looking. Sometimes his eyes would glaze over when he was staring at a photograph, or he would randomly let out a loud sad sigh, his mind a million miles away. Sometimes when she was talking to him, she noticed that he wasn't even listening to her at all and just adding little words of agreement to the conversation as she rattled on. Some mornings, it was harder to get him out of bed, and on those mornings she would usually have to go and make herself a bowl of cereal and eat by herself until he was ready to get up. She learned to spot the differences between his real smiles and his fake ones, and his genuine laughs from the ones that he would force out of his throat for her benefit. 

She loved to make him laugh, and as she got older and her dry sense of humor developed, she knew that she could almost always drag at least a smile out of him, even when he was feeling down. 

She had known her whole life that her mum had died when she was just a baby, but she had never felt that she was lacking for her because as far as she was concerned, her daddy was enough. She was told stories about Hermione of course, and although she was interested in learning about the woman that had given birth to her, it was hard to really feel a connection with someone whom she had never even known, as stories and photographs just weren't the same. 

The older she got, the more she realized that it was  _ because  _ of her mum’s death that her daddy was so sad. Once, when she was six and a half, she had bluntly asked him how her mum had died. His face had paled, and he had told her that he didn't want to talk about it, so she hadn't pressed the issue. She did however ask her Aunt Ginny, who told her the name of the man that had taken her mum’s life, and a few details without telling her exactly how it had happened. When her daddy had found out that her aunt had told her this, he had grabbed her by the hand and floo’ed to his sister’s house; enraged. Rose had listened to them argue, yelling back and forth at each other. Her aunt tried telling him to use reason, and that as Hermione’s  _ daughter _ , she deserved to know the truth, or at least the age-appropriate version of it. Quickly, her daddy had decided that he was done with the conversation and they had left before the argument had been settled. As soon as they had gotten back home, her daddy had screamed in frustration before punching a hole in the living room wall. He had immediately turned around to look at Rose, his face ashamed when he saw the scared look that had been on her face, and he had profusely apologized as he used his wand to mend the wall.

She knew that he was relatively famous. Whenever they were out, there were always people staring, and it was even more obvious when they were out with her Uncle Harry. Journalists would seek them out sometimes, wanting to know their opinions on certain issues, and there were  _ always _ questions about the war, with them asking what exactly  _ had _ they been doing during their nine months on the run while Voldemort was in power. Rose knew that Voldemort was an evil wizard, but she had never been scared of him, because she knew that he was gone and never coming back because her daddy, along with her mum and Uncle Harry, had been integral pieces in his downfall.

On Rose’s eighth birthday, when her daddy had asked her what she wanted to do to celebrate, she had asked him to finally tell her _ everything _ about the war without sugarcoating it. He had thought about this for a bit, unsure, but finally he had obliged and started talking. He started by telling her that the public had never been told the whole truth, just in case someone decided to be a copycat, and that she wasn't allowed to tell  _ anyone  _ what he was about to tell her so she had promised not to do so. 

He told her every detail of how their life had been on the hunt, from their stay at Grimmauld place to living in a tent with little to eat. He told her how he had almost died from blood loss when he was accidentally splinched and she had nodded, as she had seen the scar from it. He told her what a horcrux was, but had been vague on exactly how one was made. He told her that Voldemort had made eight of them (including himself and one by accident in her Uncle Harry) and hidden them around, and it was up to her parents and her Uncle Harry to find and destroy them before he could be defeated. He explained that the horcruxes were bad and made from very dark magic, and how one in the form of a locket had made him angry and doubtful of himself, and had caused him to make one of the biggest mistakes that he had ever made. 

He told her how when he had found his way back to his friends, how a fake-Hermione had come out of the locket and spoke, telling him that he wasn't good enough for her, and how she preferred her Uncle Harry to him. Rose didn't really understand that part very much. It was obvious from pictures and stories how  _ much _ her mum had loved her dad and she wondered how he could have ever doubted it, but he had told her that it had been different then and had left it at that.

When her daddy had gotten to the part of the story where they had been caught by snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor, he had paused. He promised to tell her more details when she was older, but said that her mum had been badly hurt there by bad people and that it had been one of the worst experiences in his life. He then went on to talk of their time spent at Shell Cottage before they broke into Gringotts bank and escaped on the back of the dragon. He concluded the story with them going to fight the final battle at Hogwarts, and it had been there that many had died; including her Uncle Fred that she had never gotten to meet.

Her daddy had never seemed interested in dating and this made Rose happy as she was wary about and didn't like how random women would sometimes look at him when they were out. It irritated her when her grandmum, or various family members would try to talk him into going on dates, or meet new people. He always seemed to be embarrassed when they did this, and never seemed to be willing to even try. Rose remembered a specific incident when her Aunt Ginny had been trying to talk him into meeting a teammate of hers and he had politely declined several times. He must have seen Rose’s face during the conversation because he had pulled her aside later and told her not to worry, that she was the only girl in his life and he liked it that way.

She loved her life just the way that it was, and besides wishing that her dad would be happier, she never wanted anything to change. A few months after she had turned eight though, things started changing and she had been helpless to stop it.

It had started one afternoon when she was at The Burrow and her daddy didn't come and pick her up at the time that he usually did. When her Aunt Ginny had come to pick up her own kids, she had been confused because her husband hadn't been home yet either and hadn't contacted her all day as he usually did. Her grandmum had urged her aunt to go and check Rose’s house to see if they were there. Rose had been worried as well, and had insisted on going too. While her Aunt Ginny had at first refused, Rose’s pleas had finally made her agree so she took her along. 

The moment that she and her Aunt Ginny had stepped out of the fireplace, it was apparent that both her daddy and her Uncle Harry  _ were  _ at her house, as they were very loudly screaming at each other. Her aunt had instantly run towards the noise, seeming to forget that Rose had even been with her. When Rose made it to the kitchen, she stood back, slightly hidden, and watched and listened to the words being exchanged. She saw that her aunt was now standing next to her uncle, but neither of the two men seemed to notice that they were no longer alone as they hadn't even paused with their hollering. 

Her daddy and her uncle were both aurors, and apparently when scrounging around an old empty building that had traces of dark magic earlier that day, her daddy had stumbled upon an old time turner. Rose knew that all of the time turners had supposedly been destroyed years ago, and she knew that her dad finding one was a really big deal. Without letting anyone know that he had found it though, her dad had slipped it into his pocket, but her Uncle Harry had seen him do it.

When they had left for the day, her uncle had confronted her dad, telling him that under no circumstance was he to use it, that it could majorly mess things up, and that no matter how much he wanted Hermione back, that using the time turner just wasn't worth the risk. This had led to her uncle following her daddy home where they had been at it for hours, yelling at each other and trying to make the other see reason.

“OBVIOUSLY YOU DON’T FUCKING CARE, NOT LIKE  _ I _ DO!” her dad was screaming. Rose had never seen him so mad, and truthfully she was a bit frightened by the sight of him like this. He still had yet to see that Rose was even there, as his eyes were trained on his uncle, his face looking like he wanted nothing more than to curse him into oblivion.

“I  _ DO  _ CARE RON!” her uncle shouted back. “BUT WHAT IF YOU USE IT AND IT FUCKS THINGS UP EVEN  _ MORE _ ? WHAT IF ONE OF THE KIDS IN THE FAMILY ISN'T  _ BORN _ BECAUSE YOU WENT BACK TO SAVE HER? WHAT IF  _ OTHER  _ PEOPLE DIE BECAUSE YOU DECIDED TO SAVE  _ ONE _ PERSO-” 

“THAT _ ONE _ PERSON IS MY  _ WIFE _ !” her daddy screamed manically. “ _ AND  _ YOUR OTHER BEST FRIEND IF YOU HAVEN'T FUCKING FORGOTTEN! IF ROLES WERE REVERSED, THEN SHE WOULD WANT ME TO SAVE  _ YOU, _ AND YOU FUCKING  _ KNOW _ IT HARRY!”

At this, Rose watched as her Uncle Harry’s eyes looked to the floor ashamedly as he let out a weary sigh, her Aunt Ginny now lightly rubbing his arm. When he quietly responded, it was like all of the fight had gone out of him.“I want her back too Ron, you  _ know _ I do- but the consequences might be too much-and we won't know how things will turn out  _ until  _ it happens.”

With horror, Rose watched as her dad’s upper body crumpled down onto the kitchen island, half sobbing “I  _ have _ to get her back.  _ Harry, I have to,”  _ he wailed. “You have Ginny, you don't _ understand _ what it’s fucking  _ like.  _ I’m always  _ alone _ and-” He broke off, his cries echoing loudly in the otherwise silent kitchen.

Her Uncle Harry said nothing, but Rose saw that he and her aunt were now crying as well as they watched her dad continue to break down in front of them. Rose had never felt so helpless, and she wanted nothing more for him to stop crying like he was. She didn't feel like she could handle it. She put a hand over her mouth as her own sob escaped and her daddy’s head had snapped up, his tear stained face turning to look at her. She watched as his eyes widened before his face contorted angrily. 

“What is she  _ doing _ here?” he snarled, his eyes now trained on his younger sister.

Rose didn't wait to hear a reply as she turned around and ran upstairs, throwing her body under her covers and putting her pillow over her head, as downstairs the yelling had resumed. Shortly afterwards, everything went silent and Rose figured that someone had cast the silencing charm so she wouldn't be able to overhear. 

As she lay there crying, she thought about what her daddy had said. He had said that he was  _ alone. _ He  _ wasn't _ alone though, he had her. Obviously  _ she _ wasn't enough, even though he was more than enough for her. She knew that he loved her of course, but that was the first time that she had felt that maybe he didn't love her as much as she loved him.

After a little while, her Aunt Ginny made her way into the room and sat down on the bed next to her.

“I’m sorry that you had to see that Rose. If I would have known what we were going to be walking into, I wouldn't have brought you.”

“I want my daddy,” Rose whined pitifully.

Her aunt sighed. “Your daddy is not...he’s very upset right now, and he needs his space.”

“He’s never needed space from me before,” she sniffed.

Her aunt gently started stroking her hair. “Just let him calm down a bit okay? He’ll come and talk to you eventually.”

Rose turned fully around. “Is he going to use it?” she asked.

Aunt Ginny pursed her lips. “I don't think that anyone is going to talk him out of using it, no. There’s not much that your uncle and I can do short of letting the ministry know that your dad has it, and since he’s liable to get into a lot of trouble for stealing it while on ministry business, we don't want to do that.”

“Please don't tell them!” Rose pleaded. “I don't want my daddy in Azkaban.”

“No, no,” her aunt assured her. “Of course we won't tell. We are just worried, that’s all.”

Aunt Ginny stayed for a while, stroking her hair until she finally fell asleep, exhausted.

The sound of her door gently being pushed open woke Rose up from her sleep. She could tell that it was really late and that she had been asleep for quite a long time. She knew from the footsteps that it was her dad walking into her room and she kept her eyes shut, pretending to still be asleep. She heard as he bent down, and felt his hand gently push her hair away from her face before kissing her softly on her forehead.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered hoarsely, before standing upright and walking out, closing the door behind him.

o

O

o

The next morning, when Rose walked out of her room, her daddy was already awake and making her pancakes. One look at his face and she knew that he had hardly slept last night; if he had even slept at all. He said nothing, but smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head before loading her plate and setting it in front of her at the table. He sat down as well but she noticed that he didn't grab any food for himself and she found that odd. She also realized that it was a Thursday, but he was still in his pyjamas and obviously not going into work.

“Rose, about last night, I-”

“Are you going to use it? The time turner, I mean,” she asked quietly, cutting him off.

“Yes,” he answered immediately. “I am.”

Rose felt her stomach drop. “What if you mess things up like Uncle Harry said you might?” 

“Some things are worth the risk,” he said before clenching his jaw tight in what seemed to be determination.

Rose didn't say anything else.

o

O

o

From then on, things only got worse and increasingly fast at that. Every day, her dad would leave work, pick Rose up from The Burrow, and then rush straight home. He explained to her that he couldn't just jump back in time at any moment, that it was going to be more difficult than that. Every twist of the time turner would take him back in time one hour, but since Hermione had died eight years ago, twisting it that many times would be impractical. He decided to learn how to magically combine the magic of the time turner with the magic of a pensieve, so that if it worked out the way that he hoped, he would be able to pour his memories into the pensieve and then jump through it as if he were going into a memory, but would actually go back in time. He asked to borrow the pensieve from her uncle, and he had grudgingly allowed her daddy to take it. Her dad told her that he had been lucky, as the specific type of time turner that he had found allowed him to go back as long as he needed to, and he seemed very optimistic that he would save her mum and be able to do so fairly quickly. 

He started buying and checking out all sorts of books, getting his hands on any written words that had any information on how to combine magical objects or anything even remotely similar. He would study them religiously, fully educating himself so that he could be confident that he would be able to combine them flawlessly. He told her that he wouldn't be able to afford to make  _ any _ mistakes, because this was too important and he wouldn't allow himself to do anything less than perfect when it came to saving her mum’s life.

It took longer than he would have liked, and it wasn't until almost a month later that he felt as if he had done it correctly. Right before the first time that he actually traveled, he assured her that he would just be going for a trial-run and didn't plan on changing anything just yet, he just wanted to test and see if his magical combination had worked. 

He had Rose sit in a chair right next to the pensieve before making her promise not to move at all. She had watched as he poured his memory of the day her mum had died into the pensieve before putting his face into the circular dish and then had watched as his whole body had then disappeared. Not even five minutes later he was back, instantly falling to the floor and sobbing, distraught because he had seen her mum alive for the first time since she had died and the sight had affected him so. Even though he had stayed a safe distance away and hadn't let her see him, the trip had left him overwhelmed and extremely upset and he couldn't bring himself to travel back until almost a week later.

After the second time, he started traveling daily. He still did not attempt to change anything, but instead would just stand there hidden, watching as Hermione walked Rose in the park, making plans in his head about how exactly he would go about things once he did take action. He always left before anything bad happened to her however, unable to watch and vowing that he was going to change it soon. In the beginning, once the initial shock had worn off, he had been so much happier just to have  _ seen  _ her again, but eventually that wasn't enough for him anymore, he wanted her back  _ permanently _ and it was obvious that he would do anything to make it happen. He admitted to Rose that he was scared though. He was terrified of making other things worse, or causing horrific alternate futures for those that he loved. He wanted to save Hermione, but change as little as possible so he was meticulous in his planning.

The very first time that he had attempted to prevent Hermione’s death, he had succeeded. A simple spell to bind up Lucas Miller in ropes and put him in a place where he would easily be found by aurors had made it so that when Hermione had walked by the place that Miller had originally been, Miller wasn't there to hurt her, therefore, seemingly making it so that she would be okay. However, Once Ron returned back to the present, it was as if nothing had changed at all. Hermione was still gone, and no details of her death had changed; despite the fact that Ron had traveled back and prevented it from happening.

Thirty two times her daddy traveled back and saved Hermione, and thirty two times, the present didn't change at all. Her daddy became almost crazy; obsessed with figuring out how to overpass the current block in his plan and determined to figuring out why his tireless efforts were resulting in nothing. 

The next few weeks and even more tries had only made him more insane, the sights of Hermione driving him to the point of desperation. He took an extended leave from work and turned his office into a space where he would go and try to work out how to get his long-lost wife back. He would spend hours up in that room while Rose would be left to entertain herself. While at first, she had tried her best to be understanding of his feelings, that changed when he started turning into someone that she no longer recognized. Her feelings were hurt, and she slowly grew to resent the way that things were for her now. She was angry at Hermione for dying, and angry that her death was causing her daddy to no longer take care of her as he once had. She wished that her daddy would just go back to being the way that he had been before. She could deal with him being sad sometimes, she however, couldn't deal with the obsessed and time-travel consumed man that she lived with now.

There were very very few books on information regarding time travel, but he went to the library and checked out anything that he could find. Only one book had the information that he sought and it was a very short book about things called ‘timelines’. Her dad had explained to her that time was straight like a string (hence why it was called a time _ line _ ) and if something had happened so far back in the  _ line _ , then the past was already ‘set’. Once the past was ‘set’, it was impossible to change the future. Even if one were to go back in time and change things, as her daddy had been doing, the effects from it would fade away quickly, reverting the line straight back to as it had been before.

He then started looking to find a way that he could alter the timeline. In his research, he discovered that there was a stone called the ‘permanence stone’. It was used to make one thing of your choosing ‘permanent’ and he figured that if he traveled back with the stone, he would be able to make the ‘change’ (saving Hermione’s life) permanent instead of his efforts fading once he went back to the present. However, he hadn't read of any instances where the stone had been used in that particular way, or even with time travel at all, so he was only riding on hopes and assumptions that it would be able to work out for him in that way.

Unfortunately, permanence stones were extremely rare and his life started being dominated with his need to find one. He was contacting people who were experts in such things, hoping to find one, but always came to a dead end. He would even travel sometimes in search of one and would leave Rose with her grandmum for days at a time. Rose could tell that he was getting increasingly frustrated, but still, he showed no signs of giving up.

One night, when she was supposed to be asleep, she heard the sound of voices and slowly crept out of her room into the hallway to listen. It was her daddy and her Uncle Harry and they were in the room that held both the pensieve and all of her daddys research, a room that she was no longer allowed in once he had deemed it too dangerous for her.

“You don't even know if the stone would work in that way though,” her uncle was saying. “And what if something goes wrong?”

“What do you mean?” her daddy asked, and she could tell by his voice that his question was genuine.

“Ron. What if taking the stone back makes you stay ‘permanently’ in  _ that _ time? What if you can't get back to the present once you use it?”

Rose almost gasped.  _ No. _ She couldn't bear the thought of that happening, She  _ couldn't  _ lose him.

“I haven't thought of that,” she heard her dad admit. “But if I do things right, that won't happen.”

She heard the frustration in her uncle’s voice. “You can't  _ know _ that! What if you can't get back? Are you just going to leave Rose here without  _ either _ of her parents?”

Rose heard her daddy getting frustrated as well. “That  _ won't _ happen. I’ll make sure of it.”

“You are being so  _ selfish _ lately. Everyone is trying to talk reason with you, but you're not listening! You've been neglecting your own daught-”

“I’m doing this FOR my daughter!” her daddy almost yelled. 

Rose gritted her teeth, her eyes filling up with angry tears. He wasn't doing this for  _ her, _ he was doing this for  _ Hermione _ . Not once had Rose expressed that she wanted or even needed a mum around. Her daddy was lying.

“It’s no use talking to you when you're being like this,” her uncle said, sounding exasperated.

“Then  _ don't.”  _ her dad snapped.

When Rose heard someone’s hand on the door handle, she ran back to her room and got back in her bed.

o

O

o

Her dad still hadn't found the stone, and a few months after all of this had first started, Rose, as usual, had been in a bad mood. Her daddy hardly even noticed her bad moods anymore, as preoccupied as he had been lately. He had called her down to the dinner table, and when she had sat in her seat, he was already sitting and pouring over yet  _ another  _ book and shoveling food into his mouth, presumably so he could get back up to the room and look more into places where the stone might be. When he hadn't even looked in her direction, Rose had sat back in her chair, refusing to eat the plate of spaghetti that he had put in front of her.

It took him a bit to even notice that she wasn't eating, but when he did, he promptly closed his book and looked over at her before letting out a loud sigh. “I’m sorry.” he said earnestly. “I know that this is  _ all  _ that I’ve been doing lately, but as soon as I find the stone and once use it to save your mum, things will be better, I promise.”

Rose glared at him.“If you use it, then I’ll have a mum again, but you're still not going to pay any attention to me because you are only going to care about  _ her.”  _

Her daddy looked taken aback by her words and he shook his head. “No, it’s not going to be like that. My love for  _ you _ won't lessen just because your mum will be here. You will have  _ two _ parents who love you unconditionally. Don't you see Rose, I’m doing this for  _ us _ , for  _ you.” _

She was tired of his obsession. She was tired of being left alone all of the time. She was tired of him not caring about  _ anything _ else but saving Hermione. Furthermore, she was worried that if he  _ did _ find the stone, then he would be trapped in the past as her uncle had said, and that he would then be lost to her forever. Every emotion from the past few months was coming to a head and she couldn't control her anger any longer. “I DON'T WANT HER BACK!” she screamed.

He had looked at her then as if he didn't know who she was. “She’s your  _ mum _ Rose. She  _ loved _ you, she should be here to-”

Rose jumped out of her chair, enraged. “I DON'T CARE! I DON'T WANT A BLOODY MUM!”

For the first time that she could ever remember, he had glared back at her. His face was red, and his jaw was clenched as he barely held back his anger. “Go up to your room. _ Now _ .” he seethed. 

She crossed her arms, just as mad as him. “No.”

He stood up slowly. “Rose.  _ Now,”  _ he demanded.

“I HATE YOU.” she screamed, as she ran upstairs and threw herself onto her bed, her body shaking with her sobs.

About ten minutes later, she heard her door open and heard him slowly come into her room and sit down on the side of the bed.

“I’m sorry Rose.” she heard him say quietly. “I know that I've been too busy lately, and that I haven't been fair to you. I just  _ need _ to do this,” he paused. “I know that you don't understand it, I mean, how _ could _ you? But I  _ need  _ her back.” his voice was pleading for her to understand.”I love you  _ so much _ , but I love her and need her  _ too _ . I never imagined that I’d be left alone to raise a child by  _ myself _ . Especially now that you're getting older, and I worry that I don't know what I'm doing, or that I'm not enough. I only want the best for you, That’s all I ever wan-” his voice broke.

She chanced a look at him and saw that he was openly crying now and all of her anger disappeared as she threw herself in his arms.

o

O

o

That Saturday, her dad was again going out in search of the stone and her aunt had offered to take her shopping and out to dinner for a girl’s day. It was summertime and the weather was warm and she ended up having a great time with her aunt and her younger cousin Lily. When they arrived back at her house, it was quiet, even though her daddy had told that he had planned to be home by then. Lily told her mum that she was thirsty, so her aunt went to get her some juice from the kitchen. 

Rose decided to go see if her dad was upstairs so she made her way up. She noticed that his office door was slightly open, and she chanced a peek inside. She saw that there was a piece of paper near the pensieve and even though she knew that she wasn't supposed to, she walked inside to read it.

_ Harry. I found the stone. I know that I told you that I would let you know before I went, but I couldn't chance you trying to talk me out of using it. Hopefully I’ll be back before you find this, but if not, take care of Rose until I come home. Ron. _

A fear as she had never known gripped her, and she looked at the pensieve that her daddy might never come out of again. There were many vials, and she grabbed one that was closest to the pensieve and poured it in as she had seen her dad do on numerous occasions. Using her anger at him for leaving without telling her, and her determination to follow him to wherever he was, she quickly stuck her head in and was gone.


End file.
